On a recent episode of The Amazing Race, the mother-daughter team, Melinda and Erika Papadeas, faced elimination after making a critical error during the Bulgaria leg of the competition. They misinterpreted a clue, believing they were required to use taxis, leading them to take multiple taxi rides, which was against the rules. This mistake could have resulted in a 30-minute penalty per ride, totaling two hours, although they were eliminated regardless due to being the last to arrive. Erika, who was responsible for reading the clues due to her mother’s poor eyesight, acknowledged the oversight and emphasized the importance of reading clues correctly. The incident highlighted how misreading instructions can lead to severe consequences, even if penalties are not always enforced due to elimination by other factors.

Melinda and Erika Papadeas, a mother-daughter team on The Amazing Race, made a significant mistake by misreading a clue during the Bulgaria leg, which led them to use taxis contrary to the race rules.

The clue explicitly stated that contestants were not allowed to use taxis, but Erika, who was reading the clues, mistakenly interpreted it as a requirement to use taxis, resulting in multiple unauthorized taxi trips.

Their misunderstanding could have resulted in a severe penalty of 30 minutes per taxi ride, potentially adding up to two hours, although they were eliminated as they finished last in that leg of the race.

Erika took responsibility for the error, explaining that she was the sole reader of clues due to her mother's poor eyesight, and stressed the need to read and interpret the clues correctly.

The situation underscored the show's rule enforcement, where penalties are imposed for rule violations, but elimination can also occur independently if a team is the last to arrive at the pit stop.

The episode highlighted the challenges contestants face in understanding and following race instructions accurately, which can significantly impact their progress and standing in the competition.

This incident follows previous revelations about behind-the-scenes challenges on the show, such as a team being eliminated due to their camera crew going missing, showcasing the unpredictable nature of the race.

We don’t see penalties happen that often on The Amazing Race, but one almost happened this week.

When contestants don’t follow the rules, usually by mistake, they are given a penalty and must wait to be checked in at the pit stop. The length of the penalty sometimes can lead to them finishing last for that leg of the race, leading to their elimination.

So, what happened on the latest episode? And what would the penalty have been?

Keep reading to find out more…

Mother-daughter team Melinda and Erika Papadeas made a major mistake during the Bulgaria leg of the current season, but they came in last place and were eliminated regardless.

Melinda and Erika misread a clue that said they were not allowed to use taxis during the leg of the race. They thought it said they must use taxis and they took multiple car trips around the city.

“We would’ve had a 30-minute penalty for each taxi ride,” Melinda told Us Weekly. Erika added, “So it would’ve been two hours.”

Erika has owned up to the mistake as she was the only one reading the clues due to her mom Melinda‘s poor eyesight.

“[Phil] was like, ‘You guys misread it. I’m sure it was like a team thing.’ And my mom goes, ‘Oh, I’ve never read a clue.’ I was like, ‘Thank you,’” she said.

She added, “When he said that, I was like, ‘No, I read the clue.’ And he was like, ‘But did you?’ And I was like, so we need to clarify this. It’s not read your clue, it’s read your clue correctly. Because I totally read the clue. I just didn’t read it correctly.”

Last year, a team revealed secrets from set about what happened when their camera crew went missing, which caused their elimination.